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My sheltie's 13yr old. athrictic hind knees. woke up from a…

Customer Question

My sheltie's 13yr old...

My sheltie's 13yr old. athrictic hind knees. woke up from a nap before dinner and after standing for 30 seconds started squealing in pain, dropping to quarters and peeing a little. Massaged her cramped legs while spreading them outside her hips to loosen her up. (Stiff about 3" apart.) She seems okay now. Ate dinner, went o bathroom outside, like to sit out not he deck in the cold as usual. David.

Veterinarian's Assistant: I'll do all I can to help. The Expert will know if the hind will be able to digest that. What is the hind's name and age?

Hi, I'm a licensed veterinarian and I'll be happy to help. I'm sorry to hear that Ginger is having this trouble in the hind legs.

As you've already mentioned, it's likely that arthritis has a lot to do with this. At 13+ years of age, nearly all dogs have some degree of arthritis, and this can lead to some or all of the symptoms you're observing. Arthritis symptoms are especially noticeable after rest - such as when waking from sleep or a nap.

Typically, treatment consists of the following:

Anti inflammatory medications such as carprofen or meloxicam,

joint supplements such as glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM, etc,

omega-3 fatty acid supplementation (fish oil, salmon oil),

weight management if overweight,

injections such as Adequan or Pentosan,

and in some cases, physical therapy, acupuncture, or chiropractic.

I would definitely suggest asking your vet about some of these options.

If veterinary care is not available, then a baby aspirin every other day could be given, but the incidence of side effects can be higher than the prescription medicines I mentioned earlier, and in general aspirin is less effective.

I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.

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Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.